India faces Kuwait test

BENGALURU: Defending champion India will look to preserve a proud record and add a ninth SAFF Championship title to its shelf when it faces a tough Kuwait side in the final at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Tuesday.

India was stretched to a penalty shootout by Lebanon in the semi-finals before winning while Kuwait had to wait till extra time to eke out a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh. This will be the second meeting between India and Kuwait in the tournament – the teams played out a 1-1 draw in a heated Group A match last week. India may have a slight edge in front of a partisan home crowd, but there is a worrying aspect.

Will the host be able to give its best in the final after toiling for two matches in succession? India assistant coach Mahesh Gawli sought to allay such concerns. “I would like to say that if you get one week, you cannot do anything. But when you get one month or more, you work more on fitness,” said Gawli on Monday. “I think we had almost 50 days. Our strength and conditioning coach, Luka Radman, has done a wonderful job.

We have seen our players playing without injuries and there have been no cramps as well.” India will be boosted by the return of key defender Sandesh Jhingan. He had missed the semi-final match after accumulating two yellow cards (against Pakistan and Kuwait) in the group stage. Head coach Igor Stimac will be absent from the India dugout after he was slapped with a two-match ban by the SAFF disciplinary committee. Stimac received his second red card of the tournament during the group match against Kuwait. But, India, under the talismanic Sunil Chhetri, has shown a streak of determination to rise above obstacles. After scoring in three successive matches in the group stage, Chhetri was unable to find the back of the net in the semi-final contest.

While he converted a penalty in the shootout, the veteran striker will be keen to make a heftier contribution in the summit clash. India would also hope that Sahal Abdul Samad, Mahesh Singh and Udanta Singh continue to be energetic, feeding Chhetri with incisive passes. Mahesh, who is usually deployed as a winger, was fielded behind Chhetri against Lebanon to provide more support to the skipper. Gawli indicated that India may continue with that strategy. The India team, unbeaten at home for nearly four years, will know that Kuwait is a battle-hardened side and nothing less than its best would suffice in the title decider.